Buenos Aires -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Argentina 's president is scheduled to temporarily hand over power Wednesday as she undergoes thyroid cancer surgery .

Doctors were set to operate on President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at Austral Hospital , located about 60 kilometers -LRB- 35 miles -RRB- outside Buenos Aires , the state-run Telam news agency reported .

She will hand over power to Vice President Amado Boudou until January 24 , officials have said .

Supporters gathered outside the hospital Tuesday , posting banners and flags on a surrounding gate . Some set up camp for an overnight vigil .

`` There is nothing healthier than the love between the people and the president , '' one sign said , according to Telam .

Recent medical tests uncovered papillary carcinoma in Fernandez 's thyroid gland , presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said last week .

The cancer has not spread to her lymph nodes or grown beyond the thyroid gland , he said .

Fernandez , 58 , was sworn in for a second four-year term last month after she won re-election with more than 54 % of the vote .

She became Argentina 's president in 2007 . Her husband , Nestor Kirchner , was president from 2003-2007 . He died in October 2010 .

During Fernandez 's presidency , Argentina 's economy has enjoyed sustained growth of about 8 % annually .

Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer and has a high survival rate , according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine .

More than 95 % of adults with papillary thyroid carcinoma survive at least 10 years , according to a description on the library 's website . Treatment includes surgery , radioactive iodine and medication , the library says .

Possible complications in surgery can include damage to a nerve that controls the vocal cords or accidental removal of a gland that helps regulate blood calcium levels , according to the medicine library .

Recently doctors have diagnosed several current and former South American leaders with cancer .

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma in 2010 .

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that doctors had diagnosed him with cancer in June . He did not specify what kind of cancer he had , but after undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy , he said in October that he had been cured .

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff overcame cancer while she was a candidate for the office , and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is undergoing treatment for throat cancer .

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Doctors are set to operate in a hospital outside Buenos Aires

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President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will hand over power until January 24

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Medical tests uncovered papillary carcinoma in her thyroid gland

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Supporters gather outside the hospital , posting banners and flags on the gate